Making the World a Better Place – One Review at a Time

New in Home Entertainment – May 7, 2013

MamaRated PG-13 for violence and terror, some disturbing images and thematic elementsAvailable on DVD and Blu-rayWhen two girls go missing in the woods for a long period of time and are then found, they go to live with their uncle and aunt. Unfortunately, the spirit in the woods that has practically raised them comes along and haunts the newly-formed family. In order to better sell the project to audiences, the film is first billed as ‘Guillermo Del Toro Presents’ even though it looks like he had very little to do with the actual production. Instead, a very capable director, Andy Muschietti, does a fine job at delivering a very creepy movie that overdoes the CG a little too much, but still provides chills-a-plenty. Of course it helps to have two-time Oscar nom Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) heading up the talented cast. While its certainly not as scary or eccentric as some of Del Toro’s actual projects, this one will make most horror fans happy. B

Jack ReacherRated PG-13 for violence, language and some drug materialAvailable on DVD and Blu-rayThis much-anticipated first film based on the famous character from the Lee Child book series introduces us to the world of Jack Reacher, played here by Tom Cruise. Jack is a highly decorated former MP and a nomad, moving from town to town, owning nothing but a toothbrush. When a former military sniper is arrested for taking out a crowd of civilians, Reacher rushes in to help the defense attorney (Rosamund Pike) figure out all of the details of the case and if maybe there is more to it than what was originally thought. The story itself is interesting, but the production seems so amateur. The script is pretty lousy, making you think you are watching auditions or rehearsals rather than a polished film. That could possibly be due to some lousy casting or bad performances, but it just didn’t feel like a Tom Cruise movie. To make it worse, the pacing was slow and the music was terrible. The only thing holding the project together was Cruise, who really tried admirably to create this new franchise. If only it didn’t show like a made-for-television Friday night special. C-

30 Rock: Season 7Available on DVDNBC has a habit of allowing sitcoms to go down in flames rather than letting them end on a high note. They did it to Friends, we are in the process of watching it happen to The Office, and now 30 Rock. I’m not going to say this final season is bad by any means. It has a lot of little laughs and every once in a while a huge guffaw, but it has lost so much steam. Still, I’m glad I got to experience the show and was able to appreciate it for all its silliness and time-wasting ability. B-